&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump gets a blow from US Supreme Court over mail-in voting: Why is it so important and how it works")
The US Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to restrict mail-in voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, keeping the existing system in place for now. With nearly one-third of US ballots cast by mail, the ruling has put the spotlight on how mail-in voting works, why it matters and why it has become a major political flashpoint.
What is mail-in voting?
Mail-in voting allows eligible voters to cast their ballots without visiting a polling station in person. Instead, voters request or receive a ballot from their local election authority, fill it out at home and return it either by mail or by depositing it at an authorised ballot drop box. The rules governing mail-in voting vary from state to state. Some states allow voters to request a mail ballot without giving a reason, while others require an “excuse”, such as illness, disability, being away from home or being unable to vote in person on election day. Once completed, the ballot must be returned within the deadline set by the state. The deadline can also differ: some states require ballots to be postmarked by election day, while others require election officials to receive the ballot by a specified time.
Also Read: ‘Let’s go’: Newly declassified videos show dramatic rescue of US Air Force officers downed in Iran
Mail-in voting is not a single nationwide system. Each state sets its own rules on who can use it, how ballots are requested and verified, and when they must be returned. In some states, elections are conducted largely or entirely by mail, while others rely primarily on in-person voting.
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The system became especially prominent during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many states expanded access to mail ballots to allow people to vote while limiting crowds at polling stations. Since then, mail voting has remained an important part of the US election system, although it has also become a major political and legal issue.
Why is Trump against it?
Trump’s primary public argument is that mail-in voting is highly vulnerable to manipulation. He has frequently called it "mail-in cheating" and a "scam", arguing that it opens the door for fraudulent or duplicated ballots. "The elections are so screwed up. We have to get back in and we have to change it all," Trump said. “We want to go to paper ballots. We want to go to same-day voting. We want to go to citizenship papers. And we want to go to voter ID. It's very simple. We want to get rid of mail-in voting,” he added. He has said a several times: “Our elections are rigged.”
